(Newser)
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Nannies introduce the idea of the "other woman" into the psyche of baby boys and make them more likely to be womanizers when they're grown, a psychiatrist claims. Even after marriage, he'll have "at the back of his mind the notion of this other woman, who knows and caters to all his needs," shrink Dennis Friedman, 85, explains to the Telegraph. "It creates a division in his mind between the woman he knows to be his natural mother and the woman with whom he has a real hands-on relationship."

Baby girls can also experience a "vacuum of need" when their mom is away that they may seek to fill later with sex or drugs. Friedman knows his views, expounded in his book, An Unsolicited Gift, won't be popular with career women. He suggests parents not employ a nanny or au pair until after a child's first birthday.

My Manhattan coworkers and I have had nannies for decades. Here's a hint for that shrink: a lot of nannies love the TV, the phone, the fridge, and going out for a smoke a lot more than they like babies! So when this shrink thinks nannies "cater to the baby boy's every need" - certainly not the case. The mom might cater to the kid's every need while on maternity leave. But nannies, on average, are just a convenient day care that comes to your house. They're not mind readers, they're not saints, and they don't make baby boys into skirt chasers, because baby boys are born that way. Check out the website "I saw your nanny" for more info about nanny-child bonding.